The Other Frontline - Inside The Classrooms Still Operating Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic
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On the frontline - but with no protection, and under more pressure than ever amid the coronavirus pandemic. That is the situation facing thousands of teachers around the country, as they keep their doors open to children of children of key workers and vulnerable families - but in return are receiving little support or guidance.
Headteachers and school staff admitted to HuffPost UK that they are experiencing high levels of pressure and stress as they strive to do their best for children despite their own anxieties.
“In the first couple of weeks of this crisis, I remember having points where I thought: ‘I can’t do this’ and I have never felt like that in my career,” Tehmina Hashmi, executive headteacher at Bradford Academy, told HuffPost UK.
The mounting pressures are taking their toll on school workers who are putting their own health and that of their families at risk by potentially being exposed to coronavirus by coming into regular contact with children whose parents work for the NHS or are other key workers.
And many parents and families have a newfound respect for everything schools are doing amid the pandemic and have described them as “the fourth emergency service” with their dedication on the frontline.
One teacher who has just recovered from coronavirus, which she believes she contracted from school, told HuffPost UK that although the reason for shutting schools to the majority of pupils was to curb the spread of the virus, maintaining social distancing is difficult, particularly with young children.
Children are naturally very tactile and not good with giving people personal space so staff are having to educate them on social distancing.
She said: “Teachers and people who work in schools are putting themselves in a vulnerable situation by going into schools, particularly as we don’t have protective...
